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The Heart Without Boundaries
The World-Honored One is truly worthy of offerings, possessing authentic and complete insight, great compassion, perfect conduct, and wisdom, having tamed himself and others, being the Teacher of both gods and humans. His wonderful Dharma is a miraculous path, to be realized right in the present moment, transcending time, leading the way to extinguish afflictions. The Sangha, consisting of the four pairs and eight noble beings, is the most fertile field of merit, worthy of offerings and reverence. The precepts protect our freedom, leading to fearlessness, right concentration, insight, and everlasting happiness. When we sit in meditation, just sitting upright like a lotus and breathing is already happiness; tea meditation is blending the fragrant cloud of the Dharma with Northern Vietnamese tea, so that each breath is a deep joy.
True love, according to the teachings of the World-Honored One, is a gentle, peaceful path that brings happiness to both ourselves and others, without causing suffering. To do so, we must have the four essential elements, just like a quatre-quarts cake needs butter, sugar, flour, and eggs; missing one, it is not a complete cake. The four elements of true love are:
- loving-kindness (maitrī)
- compassion (karuṇā)
- joy (muditā)
- equanimity (upekkhā)
Practicing true love is to gradually expand our heart, from the size of a peanut to a river or the great ocean, to embrace all beings and the heart of the cosmos (the precious womb of emptiness). Every evening, place your hand on your heart and ask, “Have you grown a little today?” Each mindful step, each smiling breath, is a way to offer happiness to ourselves, to our mother, father, friends, and society. When our heart is large enough, suffering lessens, happiness increases, and only then can we truly love others—and so it is with a nation.